Work Environment

All work with chocolate should be carried out in a temperature-controlled, low-humidity environment. Although various steps of confectionery production may be best accomplished at different temperatures, most artisan confectioners do not have the luxury of having more than one temperature-controlled room for their work. For general chocolate work, including crystallization of finished pieces, an ambient temperature of 20°C/68°F is appropriate. Temperatures significantly higher than this causes tempered chocolate to crystallize too slowly. Temperatures that are much lower will result in rapid cooling and an increase in viscosity as well as the formation of unstable cocoa butter crystals, causing poor gloss and snap, and the formation of bloom during storage. (See Tempering Chocolate.)